Safety-pin



Oct. 15, 1935. CAMPBELL V 2,017,651

SAFETYPIN Filed May 6, 1935 'r'r RNEYS Patented Oct. 15, 1935 STATES A T E 7 Claims.

This invention relates to safety pins and is particularly concerned with the provision of an improved means for resisting unintentional opening of a safety pin.

One object of the invention is the provision of a means for locking the pin bar in position which at the same time will not prevent vertical displacement of the pin bar in case some unusual force is applied thereto. In this way I am enabled Still another object is to provide a construction in which the guide is formed of a material different from that which is used in the guard whereby certain of the foregoing objects are more readily attained as will more fully appear hereinafter.

The foregoing objects together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter or are inci-- dent to the invention are obtained by means of a construction which is illustrated in preferred forms in the accompanying drawing wherein Figure l is a side view of a safety pin embodying the present improvements with a portion of the guard broken away in order to illustrate certain of the details to' better advantage.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig- 'ure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side View of the separate guide member used in constructing the pin of Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, and

Figure 5 is a View of a modified form of guide member which can be used with my improved pm.

.In the drawing it will be seen that my improved pin includes the usual resilient. wire curved substantially at the middle thereof to provide the spring loop 6, the back portion l and the pin bar proper 8.

The guard which I employ is composed of a relatively rigid material and comprises the back portion 9, the end portion if! and the front or entrance portion H, the back I of the pin being embraced within the base of the back portion 9 and extending preferably around and into the base of the end portion it) as shown in Figure 1. The side walls ii. of the guard are bent around and inwardly from the end portions 9, iii and l I so as to form a shield which in itself is of a 5 generally U-shape and which, in cross section, is also of U-shape as will be clearly understood from the drawing.

The guide is composed of relatively resilient material and is formed preferably of two sub- 10 stantially fiat members l3 placed face to face the perimeter of which follows substantially the contour of the base of the guard 9-Hill. The edge portions it of the two guide members it are curved around the end of the back I of the pin 15 as shown to best advantage in Figures 2 and 3, and to hold the members it in place I prefer to pinch in the walls ii! of the guard as at l5. This is done at the back and end of the guard and in addition, at the end of the guard the Walls I2 20 are extended slightly in the form of small lugs which are bent inwardly as at it to fit into the opening I? in the guide and under the adjacent edges of said opening as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

In this way the guide is securely held in position along the back and end of the guard While the front thereof is free to move from side to side in the front of the guard. The arrangement is such as to give a very firm grip upon the guide and, therefore, to increase the snap or springlike effect of the free portion of the guide as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The free edge of the guide projects well into the base of the guard at the front ll so that the pin bar 8 when in position in the guard cannot pass from one side to the other of the guide. This is important because it prevents the pin bar from becoming centered in the base of the guard at a location which is directly opposite the 0pposing end of the guide. I have found by experience that if this provision is not made the pin bar, during opening movement, is very liable to come up against the end of the guide, thus making it difficult to open the pin.

In the arrangement of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the free corner is cut back slightly as at l8 (see Figure 4) and from the base of this cut back portion the corner i9 is bent outwardly toward the wall of the guard.

The adjacent edges 20 of the guard walls l2 are bent inwardly toward the adjacent lug-like or ear-like portions E9.

The thickness of the pin bar 8 at the point where it comes opposite the ears l9 and the in- 55 delicate nature.

wardly extending offsets Zll in relation to the entrance opening between the ears l9 and the indents 29 is such as to cause the pin bar 8 to be forced against the guide when in closed position so that the guide is pressed over toward the far wall E2 of the guard as shown in Figures 2 and 3. When closing the pin, pressure must be exerted against the ears is sufficiently great to snap the pin bar 8 into proper position. To release the pin bar requires somewhat greater pressure than is required in closing the pin for the reason that the resilience of the spring portion 6 must be overcome in addition to the resistance offered by the locking means.

The improved construction just described makes possible a number of advantages not heretofore obtained with previous safety pin locks in which the guard and guide have been made of a common material. For example, in such prior devices it has frequently been customary to provide the inner face of the entrance portions of the guard walls with some sort of projecting means calculated to'resist movement of the pin bar. However, when this is done, the material of the guard must be relatively resilient in character, as otherwise the pin would not be operative.

With my improved construction, however, the guard can be made of relatively rigid material, while the guide can be of relatively resilient material. This makes for a stronger pin and one which will better resist unintentional opening, particularly such opening as is referred to as vertical opening. Vertical opening results when the pin bar 8 is pulled by the material in the direction of the arrow A, while the back of the pin 7 is held in a fixed position. It will be understood, of course, that the material into which the pin bar 8 has been inserted may cross the pin say at the points X and Y so that when the material is pulled in the direction of the arrow A, the tendency is to bend the middle of the pin bar 8 outwardly into the form of a V and to drag the pin end forcibly out of the guard. This is known as vertical opening of the pin.

At the same time, however, with my improved pin no eifort is made to positively lock the pin against such vertica opening, for the reason that to do this is liable to result in serious damage to the fabric, particularly where it is of a In other words, my improved construction provides a pin in which normal opening movement is strongly resisted while unintentional vertical opening is not prevented, but at the same time not rendered more easy than "is desirable as has some times been the case in previous devices where the guard is made of relatively resilient material instead of relatively rigid material.

Although I at present prefer the two piece or two part guide illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, it is also possible to employ a guide l3a made up of a single piece of resilient material such as shown in the modification of Figure 5. In this modification the ears l9a take the form of oppositely projecting pressed out portions, one above the other as shown. The back of this modified guide I311 may be provided with small projections or lugs 2! in order to insure a firm grip of the walls I2 of the guide when pinched into position thereagainst.

What Iclaim is: 10

1. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard, a guide projecting into the guard sufficiently far to prevent the pin bar from passing to one side or the other thereof, and a locking ear carried by and projecting from the guide toward the guard into the path of movement of the pin bar.

2. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard, a guide secured therein along the back and end thereof, and a looking ear carried by and projecting from the guide toward the guard into the path of movement of the pin bar.

3. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard of relatively rigid material and a guide of relatively resilient material carrying a locking ear which projects therefrom toward the guard into the path of movement of the pin bar.

4. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard, a guide fitting therein and shaped to follow the contour of the base of the guard, said guide being secured in the guard along the back and end thereof, and a locking ear carried by and projecting from the guide toward the guard into the path of movement of the pin bar.

5. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard of relatively rigid material and a guide of relatively resilient material carrying a locking car which projects therefrom toward the guard into the path of movement of the pin bar, the walls of the guard at the entrance portions thereof being curved inwardly toward the guide.

6. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard, a separate guide secured at one side in the back of the guard and projecting into the front thereof, and a locking ear carried by and projecting from the guide toward the guard into the path of movement of the pinbar.

7. In a safety pin having the usual pin bar, the combination of a guard, a two-part guide of relatively resilient material secured in the guard along the back and end thereof, and a pin bar locking ear turned up at the free corner of each of said guide parts substantially as herein described.

ADOLPH T. CAMPBELL. 5 

